Reaper War
The greatest, most destructive conflict in galactic history. The invasion began in the Vular System in batarian space, and spread along the mass relay network. Within days, the Batarian Hegemony was all but destroyed, Earth had fallen, the Systems Alliance Navy was in full retreat, and a massive offensive had been launched against the Turian Hierarchy. In the following weeks, the galaxy’s population centers were conquered or annihilated one by one as the Reapers inexorably advanced. On captured planets such as Earth, the Reapers began destroying satellites and defunct nuclear missile silos. They soon began broadcasting orders, inviting local leaders into their superstructures to “negotiate peace”. This was a ruse to indoctrinate them and help pacify the population. The beginning The Reapers entered the galaxy at Vular. Within a day, Reaper capital ships appeared in the Harsa System and descended on the batarian homeworld. For all the rhetoric about the Hegemony’s military prowess, their response to the Reapers was uncoordinated. Moments after the information minister took to the extranet and announced that unknown ships were destroying all traffic near Khar’shan, the defense minister declared that there was no reason to panic. The planet’s comm buoys were destroyed next, creating an ominous silence that would persist until the end of the war. Fearing they were next, batarian colonies across Hegemony space began evacuations. So many refugees poured into the human-occupied Exodus Cluster that Systems Alliance officials at first thought the batarians were invading. May 1: Earth The Reapers bypassed the Sixth and Seventh Fleets at Terra Nova and Eden Prime, flying straight from relay to relay where they could neither be tracked nor intercepted. The tactic was unexpected, since the navies of organic species would never risk coming out of FTL within combat range, or leaving enemies at their backs to threaten supply lines. At Arcturus Station, more than a dozen Reaper capital ships engaged the Alliance’s Second, Third, and Fifth Fleets. This was mere screening for the main force. Dozens more capital ships continued through the Charon Relay, where the First Fleet had been lying in wait. The First Fleet lost the resulting battle, hopelessly. The Fourth Fleet, near Earth, had a few minutes of advance warning, but would ultimately fare no better. After destroying Earth’s comm buoys, smaller Reaper destroyers wiped out all GPS and communications satellites in orbit, and cut the undersea fiber-optic cables that linked the continents. Earth’s resistance now relied on outdated radio towers and a few quantum entanglement communicators whose matched pairs happened to be on other continents or outside the Sol System. Communication was so limited that the fate of entire nations remained unknown. The capital ships bombarded defense installations and industrial centres, annihilating entire cities with populations in the low millions, including Adelaide, Hamburg, Al Jubail, and Fort Worth. Meanwhile, Reaper destroyers descended into the atmosphere to melt roads and capture larger population centres with minimal loss of life. Shepard and T'Soni on Mars May 4: The Hierarchy is invaded A populous colony dating back centuries, Taetrus was already embedded in the turian psyche as the site of the most damaging terrorist attack in turian history. Wounds were still raw from the Vallum Blast, in which a separatist revolutionary slammed a starship into the colony’s capital, killing more than a hundred thousand turians. Hierarchy forces responded with a massive invasion of the planet to stamp out the separatist movement. It was a catharsis for the turians, reassuring them that their heroes would always triumph over evil. And so the Reapers struck Taetrus first. By the time Taetrus went dark, the turians had already learned that the batarians and humans were under attack. The Hierarchy responded with what they believed was overwhelming force, only to walk into a trap. Reaper ships were waiting on the other side of the relay, and released devastating firepower the moment the fleet emerged. Turian leaders observing the one-sided battle were faced with a choice: reinforce their side of the relay to defend against a Reaper invasion, or throw more resources into an offense. With soldiers and civilians alike clamoring for retribution against the Reapers, the turians continued the assault. The Hierarchy sent warp bombs through the relay to clear a path, fighting tooth and talon to inflict casualties against the Reaper fleet. It was a valiant effort, but doomed. The Reapers emerged victorious from the relay and began broadcasting a signal to turian comm buoys - images of Vallum, Taetrus’s capital, once again a smoking wreck Turian response was vociferous. Several inter-and-extranet outages were reported following the speech, as turians vented their anger at the enemy. Primarch Fedorian seemed to have predicted this emotional response in his address: “Now is not the time to be enraged. Now is the time to harness our will and do what must be done. We must show that whatever civilization we face, it picked the wrong foe”. The Council drags its feet Despite human Councillor Udina’s insistence that Earth was bearing the brunt of the attack and needed the most help, the asari Councillor succinctly summed up the majority viewpoint: while the Reapers focused on Earth, the other races had time to regroup and build up their own defences. The Council was also unimpressed by the Prothean device recovered on Mars, insisting it was surely flawed, given that it failed to save the Protheans themselves from extinction. T’Soni disagreed, explaining that a missing component referred to as “the Catalyst” prevented its completion during the Prothean cycle. Desperate Tactics The races of the galaxy were desperate to find a means of fighting the advancing Reapers. Destroying a mass relay to stop the Reapers’ advance was infeasible. Although it had recently been proven that mass relays could be destroyed, a ruptured relay liberated enough energy to ruin any terrestrial world in the relay’s star system. It would take too long to evacuate the millions or billions of people living near each relay, and the Council was unwilling to sacrifice that many lives when combat stood a chance of saving them. Even if a garden world were to survive the relay’s destruction, the Reapers had infinite patience. They traveled out of dark space using conventional FTL - travel within the galaxy wasn’t an insurmountable barrier. Meanwhile, starships were too costly to be used as projectiles, given that it would take many collisions to seriously harm a Reaper. Some armchair admirals suggested that a single starship traveling faster than light could obliterate a Reaper capital ship, but all ships based on mass effect technology possess hardwired safety features to prevent FTL collisions. If a ship’s FTL plotter finds a significant object in the path of a planned jump, the drive refuses to fire in the first place. This isn’t a perfect safety feature - the sensors can only scan for objects within a reasonable distance at light speed, and a navigator must plot the rest of the course - but it’s so inherent to the FTL warm-up process that removing it is nigh impossible. Cynical intelligence analysts noted that the secret of mass effect technology, including the safety system, had always been attributed to the Protheans - just as the mass relays were. Unlike the relays, Reapers don’t have quantum shields. Locking itself down at a quantum level would leave a Reaper unaware of its surroundings until the shielding deactivated. Instead, Reapers rely on kinetic barriers. In the case of a Reaper capital ship, these kinetic barriers can hold off the firepower of two dreadnoughts simultaneously, but three clearly causes strain, and four typically results in destruction. Weapons designed to maximize heat damage, such as the Thanix series, show better results against the Reapers than pure kinetic impacts. The barriers of a Reaper destroyer are less formidable than those of a capital ship. It’s possible for a single cruiser or many fighters to disable or demolish a destroyer if they can get within range before they are themselves destroyed. Palaven Trebia is under siege. ALL CITIZENS regardless of exemption or registration status are ordered to resist the enemy using any means necessary, in line with emergency protocol A113. All mobilized personnel are to proceed IMMEDIATELY to their assigned defence zones as instructed by TIER SUPERIORS. All legions in the Apien Crest are to be recalled IMMEDIATELY to Menae pending further instruction. Able-bodied trainees are to report to troop marshaling zones and await further instruction. Presently decommissioned vessels are to be reactivated IMMEDIATELY. Staying calm, the turians massed a force around Palaven. Fleet Admiral Coronati, in what became known as the “Fifteen-Minute Plan”, stationed only two carriers, Undaunted ''and ''Resolute, near the system’s relay. When the Reaper fleet emerged, the carriers launched swarms of unmanned fighters and spy drones. These were quickly destroyed, but the drones transmitted vital data on the Reapers’ effective range, fleet composition, and exact location. The turians’ other ships then deployed to defend the system in earnest. Knowing that the Reapers’ weapons had a longer effective range than any of his own, Coronati made a short, daring FTL jump - landing his dreadnoughts in the middle of the Reaper fleet. The dreadnoughts then turned to line up their main guns on the Reapers, which also needed to turn to fire on the turians. This ploy used the Reapers’ size against them - because they could turn faster, the turians’ concentrated firepower downed several Reaper capital ships. Their destroyers performed a jump of their own to the skies above Palaven, beginning orbital strikes of turian cities. The turians, forced to defend the planet, found themselves in a pitched battle far from the relay, from which emerged a seemingly endless line of Reaper ships. After massive casualties, Coronati ordered retreat. The salarian Councillor informed Shepard of a war summit they were convening to properly organise their strategy against the Reapers, and that whatever the summit decided would give the final word on the deployment of Council forces. Upon departing the meeting, Shepard and Udina were met in the human Councillor’s office by the turian Councillor, who explained that Palaven's ruler, Primarch Fedorian, was to head the war summit, but didn’t escape the system before the Reapers arrived. He requested that the Normandy extract the Primarch from his current location on Palaven’s moon Menae, explaining that Fedorian would be a useful ally in accruing support for Earth. Before leaving, the Councillor informed Shepard that the Council had agreed to uphold/reinstate her Spectre status, granting her the benefits of the position. May 7: Tuchanka May 12: Menae Upon landing at the moonbase, Shepard was informed that Primarch Fedorian was dead, having been killed an hour before she arrived. Worse, the local commanders had no idea who Fedorian’s successor was, because communications with Palaven Command had been cut. Fighting through swarms of Husks to the base’s comm tower and working to repair it, the group eventually learned that General Adrien Victus, a popular military commander with a reputation for playing loose with strategy, had been named as Palaven’s next Primarch; however, he was fighting at a base several miles away, with which radio contact had been lost. Victus was doubtful of his ability to lead, claiming he was “no diplomat”. Further, he was hesitant to leave his men, but he reluctantly agreed to accompany Shepard to the summit. He insisted that the turians couldn’t divert troops to Earth until Palaven was secured; something currently beyond their military’s ability. They would need reinforcements to succeed, and Victus insisted that the krogan would have to be at the summit. The decision to involve the krogan in proceedings caused major problems; the asari pulled out of the summit altogether, believing turian-krogan relations too fragile for anything to be accomplished. May 15: Illium A direct threat to Illium was foreshadowed by the loss of contact with Talik and Vantage, neighbouring systems projected to be avenues of approach for an invasion of Tasale. Illium’s ruling Board of Governors made no formal statement concerning the Reapers - the nature and extent of their forces still being uncertain at this early stage of the war - but enacted a range of emergency measures, including placing the Nos Astra Exchange under a temporary freeze to halt panic selling, and entering talks with several private corporations in possession of military assets. Several days later, Reapers transited the Tasale relay and advanced on Illium. The Board judged the Reaper vessels’ threat too great to permit safe departure from the system, and ordered all civilian vessels grounded. Elements of Illium’s Tasale Fleet engaged the oncoming Reapers - identified as Destroyer types and lighter units only - while the major cities projected as Reaper landing sites commenced evacuation. Tasale Fleet’s strength was insufficient to halt the advance, and some Reaper vessels breached the defensive line and began surface attacks. However, despite significant damage, and loss of life at some evacuation points, much of the population under threat were able to be moved to secure locations. Meanwhile, Tasale Fleet enacted the Board’s contingency plan, abandoning attacks against Reaper warships in favour of precision WMD strikes against troop carriers. Although Fleet losses were high, the strategy succeeded in denying the Reapers the immediately available ground forces necessary to rapidly expand from their bridgeheads. Turian Mutiny Invictan mutineers voiced dissatisfaction with current orders, demanding their immediate release from service in the Apien Crest, and that the Hierarchy provide necessary shipping for the return of the entire expeditionary force to Invictus. This request was echoed by their government back in Shastinasio: "It’s of vital importance to us to get our legions back as soon as possible, in view of the present emergency. Had the information been at our disposal then, the needs of home defence would have necessarily precluded troops from Invictus ever proceeding beyond the Caestus relay. I now think that if our army were asked to be retained abroad indefinitely while its own planet remains under siege morale would be seriously affected. In answering the call put out by Primarch Fedorian, Invictus has been left completely impoverished in its own defences. Based on the understanding that the Invictan government had every reason to expect their return should the circumstances have made it necessary, no objections were raised to the transfer of our legions to Trebia to help stem the Reaper advance. The Invictan people, having volunteered for service offworld in large numbers, have acted and carried out our part of the bargain to the government of Palaven courageously and in good faith. Now, in our own hour of requirement and after all the assurances we have been given, the postponement of their return and the diversion of the proposed flow of reinforcements would be regarded here and elsewhere as an inexcusable betrayal”. 2Lt V. Hephaestus, of Garieax, Inv., whose regiment was in transit through the Citadel and was now refusing embarkation for the front, shared a sentiment similar to the one in the official statement: “We’ve done the job we were sent out here to do. Now we want to get back home, both for personal reasons and because of our duty to our colony. I’m not dying for someone else’s cause while my house is being razed and my family massacred”. Apart from the necessity on strategic grounds for retaining the Invictan legions in the Trebia system, their transportation to Invictus, coupled with the transportation of equivalent forces from elsewhere to replace them, would involve an unjustifiable and dangerous shipping commitment, one that was quite beyond the Hierarchy’s current capacity to supply. “While it wasn’t considered unreasonable at the time of the original despatch that the Invictan legions should be redeployed as required, the losses subsequently suffered by the fleet on Taetrus and Palaven has radically altered the military situation. Withdrawal now would deal irreparable damage to our power to resist and the solidarity of the turian cause, to say nothing of the loss of life that would invariably accompany any weakening of our position on Palaven and the resultant disruption to evacuations it would entail”. The actions of the mutineers were given official sanction by the colonial government on Invictus, amidst a breakdown in diplomatic relations between Shastinasio and Cipritine over the issue of reinforcing the outlying colony. Invictus demanded that its expeditionary force in the Apien Crest be released immediately for operations against the Reapers in its own home system of Caestus, which Palaven refused to accede to. The dispute was aggravated by rumours of a possible despatch of Hierarchy troops to Talis Fia, a move roundly condemned by the Primarch of Invictus: “It’s nothing short of treachery that a volus world should take precedence over a turian one - whose soldiers, as we speak, are dying in defence of the galaxy - in the minds of any responsible government. It’s nothing short of treachery that Adrien Victus has decided that the lives of three hundred million Hierarchy citizens on Invictus are worth less than his commitment to the interests of a client race. It’s nothing short of treachery that while turian reinforcements are being rushed to preserve Rupe Elkoss’s profits, Invictus’s army is being held hostage on Palaven while the Reapers destroy its homes and families. The conduct of the Palaven government throughout this crisis has been nothing short of reprehensible. We shouldn’t have to bargain for the return of our own legions'”.''' In response, the office of Primarch Victus - now operating from an unknown location - refuted allegations that volus defence requirements took priority over turian ones, and argued that the military situation on Invictus was being greatly exaggerated by the colonial government - the scale of the Reaper presence in the Caestus system being smaller than first reported, and that territorial and local defence forces were adequate to handle the threat facing the colony. “The front is Palaven”, it said in an official statement, “and any removal or diversion of forces from the main theatre will be greatly detrimental to the overall war effort.” Frustrated by the lack of progress, the colonial government on Invictus decided to force the situation. A message was transmitted from the National Defence Headquarters to its units in the field: ''The CGS informs all Invictan forces...that they are to refrain, either independently or in participation with friendly forces, from actively seeking out hostile contact with the enemy; or, if given orders from non-Invictan authority to the effect thereof, to decline said orders. If directly threatened by either enemy action or by non-Invictan authority attempting to enforce compliance with illegal orders, commanders are to undertake the minimum of measures necessary to preserve their commands as coherent fighting units or their authority over them…In our plans and dispositions we are relying upon the return of our legions in good shape and strength. The CGS reminds all personnel that their ultimate duty lies with their home colony; non-compliance will result in disciplinary action being taken against the offender upon return to Invictus. It was unclear whether the colonial government possessed the constitutional authority to override the immediate command under which its legions had been subordinated; at this point, however, it appeared that most of the commanders in the expeditionary force, either of their own volition or under coercion by their men, were perfectly willing to comply with the “hold in place” orders. May 19: Shepard and Cerberus on Sur’kesh The Hierarchy in Trouble The unravelling of the Invictan army on Palaven continued, with 8 of the 11 legions seriously affected now “gravely destabilised” by collective refusal on the part of all ranks to engage in combat operations. The military repercussions of the destabilisations, meanwhile, were already being felt on Palaven. Sections of the line being held by Invictan units once regarded as secure became seriously compromised by the mutiny. The relief of the city of Etuacum, an operation that was to be undertaken by colonial legions now held up on the Citadel, was postponed indefinitely; while the collapse of the front along the Via Dominarum, defended by Legio DCXCIX Hypathia of the Invictan army, was only narrowly averted when legionaries returned briefly to man their positions against a concerted push by Reaper forces in that sector. According to an officer formerly attached to the legionary staff and now convalescing at Huerta Memorial Hospital: “There was a heated debate right up to the point where the enemy were over open sights whether or not we should react. The GOC, along with most of the regimental commanders and staff, was actually considering ordering the legion to stand aside to allow the enemy to break through and get at the civilian population behind us ‘the same way the politicians on Menae were sacrificing our civilians back on Invictus.’ They were only dissuaded of the idea when the G3 reminded them that it would be callous to do to the people of Palaven what Victus and his government were doing to the people of Invictus, and that such an action would almost assuredly result in the annihilation of the legion, contrary to expectations from Invictus that we were to keep ourselves intact in the event we were called back home”. Such nihilism was clearly on display among the Invictan troops still marooned on the Citadel, awaiting transport by their tiny and now greatly overstretched merchant marine, now in the process of ferrying whatever legions it could back to Invictus: "Mate, to hell with Palaven. Asari let us down, salarians let us down. If the rest of the galaxy won’t fight for its own bloody survival, why pick on me?" Three legions of the expeditionary force, however, remained under nominal Hierarchy command. Officers were able to bring DCLXIX Shastina Victrix, a reserve legion consisting mostly of foreign-born Invictans, under control in fairly short order; the legion, badly mauled in fighting over the past week, retired to the rear to await replenishment. Meanwhile, Major General Gnaeus Orquanus, GOC DCLXXXVII Sagittus, issued the following directive to his senior officers, which was by and large obeyed by the legion: "You will not chuck it unless you run out of ammunition, water or food. Do not TALK of surrender. Put anyone who does under arrest. Put yourself under arrest and report to legion headquarters if you’re one of them!" The Systems Alliance fares no better Overlooked in the initial assault on Earth, the worlds of the Exodus Cluster now attracted Reaper attention. On Ur, the habdome that sheltered the colonists was destroyed when a patrol frigate in the seventh fleet was shot down by a Reaper Troop Transport, and two Troop Transports and a Processor landed to deal with the colonists. Unknown to the colonists, Ur was riddled with indoctrinated Reaper assets, both in its tiny local garrison and in the civilian population. Thousands died or were processed in the first few days, and the fight on Ur quickly turned into a terrified, doomed resistance movement. The Reapers landed on Terra Nova after a brief battle with the Alliance's Sixth Fleet. Aware that it would lose, the fleet retreated in hopes of meeting with allies and retaking the planet. Intelligence indicated that the Reaper force here was light, and debate raged over whether to try to liberate the planet, or if such an effort would prove futile if the Reapers sent reinforcements. Illium Under Siege With a number of major cities, including Nos Astra, now in Reaper possession, but the ground advance blunted, those areas to which populations had been evacuated were able to shore up their defences. Many smaller settlements fell under attack from orbit, and were quickly abandoned amid catastrophic losses, but the largest secure cities managed to mount sufficient anti-air and anti-orbit defences. Reaper ground forces consolidated their positions and began rebuilding the forces diminished by their troopship losses, scouring all contested areas of the planet for victims to convert to husks, and launching periodic raids against the remaining cities. Nos Varda - a satellite city to Nos Astra, and the destination of its evacuees - became the de facto planetary capital during the siege, protected by heavy defensive installations, barrier projectors, and a combined force of Illium huntress cadres and forces of the Eclipse mercenary consortium, which accepted effective nationalisation for the duration of the war in exchange for lucrative concessions. Although Reaper forces based in nearby Nos Astra mounted constant small-scale probing attacks, and several large assaults (including one later dubbed the 'Battle of Nos Varda', which succeeded in breaching the city's barrier lines, threatened key military installations, and inflicted significant civilian casualties before being repulsed), comprehensive scouting and sabotage operations conducted by huntress/Eclipse forces prevented the Reapers from amassing sufficient husk forces to overwhelm the city. In addition to seeing to its own survival, the Nos Varda Provisional Authority, formed from the survivors of the Board, took a supervisory role among the remaining cities, coordinating system defence and prioritising incoming resources. Surviving units of Tasale Fleet concentrated on harassing Reaper vessels wherever possible without incurring prohibitive losses, emplacing stealthed FTL communications buoys to periodically replace those detected and destroyed by Reapers, and providing escorts and diversionary attacks to allow supply convoys to enter the system and reach Illium's cities. Despite the deadly nature of the Reaper assault on Illium, strategists analysing their behaviour concluded largely unanimously that their primary goal was simply to halt commercial activity in the system, thereby destabilising the Terminus Systems economy in general. So long as this goal was achieved - which it was for the duration of the war - the capture and/or destruction of Illium’s population appeared to be a secondary priority, pursued only as and when the forces already present in the system could muster sufficient offensive momentum without requiring reinforcements from Reapers already committed elsewhere May 26: The Krogan Have A Future En route, Shepard was contacted privately by Dalatrass Linron, who insisted that Shepard couldn’t go through with the genophage cure. She also revealed that the Special Tasks Group had sabotaged the Shroud years earlier precisely to prevent it being used for such a plan. The dalatrass offered Shepard a deal; prevent repairs to the Shroud, thus causing the cure to fail, and in exchange, the salarians would provide military support and technical expertise to help construct the Crucible. Upon arrival on the planet, Urdnot Wrex rallied the krogan forces, who were to work with a turian fighter squadron to distract a Reaper destroyer - which was using the Shroud to further poison the atmosphere. However, the plan almost immediately went awry, with the krogan ground forces delayed and the fighters decimated as they attempted to attack without support. The ground forces were scattered and Shepard’s team was forced to detour through ancient and impressive krogan ruins, that also happened to be home to the largest known thresher maw, Kalros. They improvised a new plan, luring the thresher maw into attacking the Reaper destroyer to buy them time. This strategy was significantly more effective than the last: despite overwhelming Reaper opposition, Shepard and his salarian ally made it to the Shroud and Kalros managed to kill the destroyer. The Krogan join the Fight Commander, I am deeply disappointed by your actions on Tuchanka. As I thought I made clear, curing the genophage will have long-term consequences. Once the Reaper threat has passed, our combined forces will be so depleted that no race in the galaxy will be capable of stopping a resurgent krogan. Moreover, the krogan will undoubtedly seek revenge for the genophage, and the Salarian Union will be among their first targets. When that day comes, Commander, the blood of my people will be on your hands. I am ashamed to also learn that our own scientist sacrificed his life carrying out your orders. This is a dark day not only for my people, but all of galactic civilization. Dalatrass Linron, Salarian Union In the Turian Hierarchy, most arable land had been destroyed by the initial onslaught, and what remained was used by the Reapers to attempt to cow the turian government into collapsing or capitulating. With typical turian resolve, these maneuvers were resisted, but in the process many turian colonies were turned into apocalyptic wastelands, almost completely devoid of the means to produce food for the impoverished survivors. Krogan Overlord Urdnot Wrex, pledged to send Tuchankan reinforcements to dozens of strategic points on Palaven within three days’ time. In a press conference, Primarch Victus stated: “The rift between krogan and turian is a deep one, but it’s time we looked past that. With the universe teetering on the brink, it will take every soul we have - krogan, turian, human, even salarian - to fight against the oncoming darkness”. Reactions from Hierarchy leaders were mixed but mostly positive, with General Aulus Ovidai declaring the decision a diplomatic victory through QEC transmission. “The Reapers are an enemy unlike any we’ve faced before,” he stated, making note of the high casualty rate of Palaven’s ground forces. “Right now I’ll happily take any help we can get, even if it is from the krogan.” The announcement wasn’t without controversy, of course, as some turian officials raised concerns about Tuchankan retribution. Special interest groups also questioned the provisions required to enact the alliance, with members of the Salarian Union particularly vocal about the most prominent of these: the curing of the Genophage. Representatives for Dalatrass Linron were quick in accusing Victus of “recklessness.” In a statement from the Office of the Dalatrass, Spokeswoman Linron Armix stated the following: “The krogan have harbored nothing but contempt and enmity against their fellow sentients since they were brought to task. Now, the Hierarchy would give them the very means to begin their campaign of terror once again. We have cowed to them, driven by rash, panicked fear of the unknown; giving monsters we know all too well the means to endanger us all once this crisis has passed. What is to stop them from taking revenge once this matter has been settled?" Since the Primarch’s announcement, however, travel through the Tuchanka Relay had tripled; natives continued to flock to the planet for what many of them were calling a “New Age” for their species. Overlord Wrex shared this sentiment in his pledge for the battle against Reaper insurgents: “Two thousand years ago, the krogan were called to defeat an enemy none dared fight. And now, the Galaxy calls upon us again. Today, we lead the fight to send the Reapers back to the abyss. Today, we take back our place in the galaxy! Today, the krogan rise again!” May 28: Solregit Having remained free of the Reaper threat, the largely agrarian colony of Solregit became an important source of food and resources for soldiers around the front. With that responsibility, the troubles concerning the planet’s long-standing feud over separatism only grew more pronounced. Local regiments the 895th Primarch’s Own and the 58th Desert Bats travelled to the Apien Crest to join the fight for the home system, leaving a network of local garrisons to defend against potential Reaper attacks on Solregit. Miracle at Palaven First, the turians leaked a false battle plan that drew on the same tactics that they’d used at beginning of the assault on Palaven. Then the dreadnought Indomitable faked a problem with its drive core, coming out of FTL near Menae. Three other dreadnoughts and their attendant fleets deployed to assist Indomitable, a tempting target that drew the Reaper capital ships away from Palaven. Turian troop transports then entered Palaven’s atmosphere to release shuttles, gliders, and individual soldier capsules. The Reapers didn’t understand the seriousness of the threat at first -those that detected the landing crafts sent husks and Collector swarms to intercept them, but little more. This allowed krogan commandos to link up with Palaven’s resistance and hand off their payloads - warp bombs and fission weapons. In simultaneous strikes across the globe, Reaper ships began to explode. Turian resistance members had managed to smuggle the bombs inside when the Reaper processing ships, troop transports, and even capital ships opened their structures to indoctrinated turian leaders. Large swaths of territory fell back under turian and krogan control. News of the victory gave a much-needed boost to the morale of the turian resistance and the galactic public. But the action was not without sacrifice. Turian insurgents gave their lives to ensure the explosives detonated, and the processing centres they destroyed were full of citizens and civilians who died just as surely as if they’d been harvested. Of the dead, General Minin Resvirix said, “Whatever they were in life, their deaths had no equal. They are worthy of joining the spirit of Palaven itself”. Some time later, the Hierarchy colony on Gothis received aid from an unlikely source: Solregit. A message, sent three hours before the arrival of a cargo vessel in Gothis nearspace, indicated that the cargo was a donation to Primarch Victus and the Hierarchy's war effort on behalf of Sundowner High Chieftain Louki Fidele. Hierarchy junior intelligence officer Shan Jorri said that "while we always considered the possibility that the Sundowners might have nuclear warheads, we had no definitive proof that this was the case - before today". Hierarchy senior intelligence analyst Kachina Tannis offered the following explanation for the donation: "The gift came with a condition: that the warheads were not to be used on Solregit soil. The Sundowners even arranged for their transportation here to Gothis - this was not merely a courtesy to bring them where they were needed. It was to make it difficult for us to deploy them on Solregit. Many of the Sundowners practice a primitive colonial religion that reveres nature as sacred. They would rather be wiped out by the Reapers than poison their lands." June 15: Cerberus Coup Scanning emergency channels, the Normandy ''received a transmission from an old associate of Shepard’s who explained that the station was under attack. In defense of the plot, the Illusive Man dispatched his top assassins, commanded by Kai Leng, to kill them. Udina had little choice but to support the assassins with an armed force sufficient to hold the Citadel. Captured confidantes indicated that Udina and Leng’s alliance was relatively fragile: Udina may have planned to turn on Cerberus once the fleet was his to command, and Leng departed when he calculated that Udina wouldn’t succeed. Fallout Due to the nature of the insurgency, Councilors Valern, Sparatus, Tevos and Osoba were unavailable for comment. However, each of their embassies urged Council Space members to not panic in the face of the attempted coup. In a prepared statement, Paquis Zhelvan of the Hierarchy’s Office of Public Information reminded members of Citadel Space that “While this attack is appalling, using our resources on counterattacks against Cerberus will not solve the larger, much more pressing problem of the Reapers. We understand that a large number of turian citizens, both civilians and members of C-SEC, were killed today. With our forces engaging the Reapers both on Palaven and in other theatres, this is a terrible blow, but we must remain on-target and work together if we are to survive.” The Offices of the Salarian and Asari Council were similarly cautionary. In a joint statement by Xevan Chiota and Malkis Oarian, Press Secretaries for Councilors Valern and Tevos, the Citadel Council stated that “We have seen many atrocities during this war and, while Cerberus’ actions are despicable, we must work together to defeat the Reapers. Now, more than ever, we need soldiers to help defend the many colonies throughout the galaxy who face imminent attack by Reaper forces.” To quote Commander Mark Wallace (N7): ''"The ramifications of the assault are huge, most of them good. Dominic Osoba is better than Udina, the asari and salarians are providing a token amount of military aid while their prominant members are seriously considering furthur aid and more people care about the fact that there are docking bays full of refugees and that we are losing contact with entire systems. In the grand scheme of things, the attack on the Citadel will probably do more to help us than hurt us in the war". Rannoch Efforts to speed the pace of the Crucible’s construction and drive back the Reapers increased. Admiral Hackett contacted Shepard with news on that front, informing the Commander that while turian and krogan ground forces were making progress on Palaven, they needed more support ships - and the quarians were willing to talk. Hackett requested that Shepard meet with the leaders of the Migrant Fleet but urged caution, as recent intel suggested suspicious activity along the geth border. Meeting with Admirals Shala’Raan, Han’Gerrel, Daro’Xen and Zaal’Koris on a diplomatic ship in the Far Rim, Shepard learned, much to her chagrin, that the quarians were launching another attack on the geth, with the intention of retaking their homeworld Rannoch from their AI creations. The quarians had pushed the geth back to their home system when a mysterious signal began broadcasting to all geth forces, drastically improving their combat capabilities. Shepard concluded that the signal was Reaper tech, which had to be destroyed if the quarians were to have any chance of survival. The admirals explained that the signal was being broadcast by a geth dreadnought far beyond their ability to destroy. Shepard proposed that a squad from Normandy board the vessel and disable the signal, throwing the geth into confusion and buying the quarians time to make their next move. The quarians agreed, and offered Shepard technical support in the form of one of their own: Shepard’s old crewmate Tali’Zorah. The quarians’ plan to take back their homeworld was risky, and could easily have led to their annihilation if a peaceful solution hadn’t been found. In an initial battle against the Reaper-upgraded geth ships, the quarians found their Heavy Fleet, and a portion of their Patrol Fleet, outmatched. To stave off defeat, they retreated at FTL speeds to rally with the Civilian Fleet on the far side of Rannoch’s sun, Tikkun. Temporarily hidden, but with only minutes of advance warning should a geth scout observe them, the quarians planned counterattacks to disrupt the geth link with the Reapers. First preying on a damaged dreadnought, the quarians followed by sending strike teams to Rannoch’s surface, to destroy the Reaper transmitting the improved software to geth forces. The plan worked, but when the Normandy bombed the signal generator, it was revealed to be a Reaper destroyer. The destroyer pursued Shepard and company as they fled in a geth shuttle, while the quarians and the Normandy attempted to provide supporting fire from orbit. A chance weapons strike from the Migrant Fleet revealed a weak point in the Reapers’ defences; that the firing chamber was vulnerable when priming. Using the handheld laser guidance system and dodging the Reaper’s attacks, Shepard directed the Normandy and Migrant Fleet’s weapons against the Reaper, eventually severely damaging it. Following its defeat, the Reaper and Shepard exchanged barbed words; the Reaper, recognising Shepard from Harbinger’s description, asserted that Shepard’s opposition to the Reapers was pointless, that they were preserving organic life from chaos and that the cycle must continue if organics were to be saved from destruction. Shepard dismissed the Reaper’s warnings and assured it that the races of the galaxy would continue to fight until they found a way to win. With nothing more to be said, the Reaper ‘died’. When the Reaper uplink was disrupted, the geth suffered momentary downgrades in response time and intelligence, allowing the quarians to press their advantage. However, emergency orders from Commander Shepard and Admiral Shala’Raan vas Tonbay broke off hostilities before the geth’s full capabilities were restored. It’s to the quarians’ credit that all three fleets obeyed the order to cease fire, even the Civilian Fleet, which had little combat experience. The geth, for their part, bore no ill will towards enemy combatants and broke off hostilities with perfect discipline. June 27: Dekuuna and Irune Invaded When Dekuuna’s government learned that the Reapers were imminent, they evacuated everyone on Sangel’s helium-3 recovery platforms. The sizable hydrogen-helium gas giant was abandoned, its workers relocated to Dekuuna. The move was ostensibly made because the elcor homeworld was a more defensible position. In reality, it may have been motivated by a subconscious herding instinct, as most grazing creatures come together in large groups when predators near. After the destruction of the elcor navy, Reapers moved in their ground troops to occupy Dekuuna’s cities. This took longer than on most civilized worlds, as the elcor were spread out into smaller, distant settlements, reflecting their preference for close-knit family communities instead of densely packed cities. With Dekuuna and Irune now under Reaper control, the geth were embraced by the Citadel with unusual speed. War analysts theorized that the geth offering would have undergone more extensive scrutiny had it not been for the recent attacks. With the Reapers closing in on ‘low-priority’ targets, defenders were being stretched thin, and the option of geth reinforcements was reportedly deemed a “worthwhile gamble.” Several battallions of geth troops and armatures were transported to key areas of the war effort, while drone fleets moved to support planetary defense networks against Reaper strikes. Clusters close to the Perseus Veil began receiving reinforcements as early as six hours after Admiral Hackett’s announcement of cooperation. Reached for comment, Qualog Manin, acting director of Special Tasks Group operations in the Skepsis system, announced that the geth under his command were performing to expectations. “The advantage of geth assets cannot be understated,” he said via quantum entanglement teleconference. “They don’t tire, they don’t need to be fed, they can’t be intimidated, and that means they’re good for combat ops, construction, or really anything requiring labor. Frankly, I wish we’d gotten them on our side sooner - maybe some of us wouldn’t have lost as many friends as we did.” Citadel residents were less pleased with the prospect of mingling with their former enemies, particularly in light of the recent Cerberus attack killed and maimed thousands. Citadel Security begun preparations to admit geth on a trial basis, in order to assist with reconstruction efforts. “The number of geth allowed on the station will, of course, be severely limited for the time being,” said C-Sec Special Response Captain Tarrim Anactus. “Their activities will be monitored around the clock. Our interactions with geth prior to this have been nothing but hostile, so if they want our trust, they’re going to have to earn it. Assisting against the Reapers will be a big step forward in that regard, if they can do it.” Nevos was hit by the Reapers around the same time as Dekuuna came under fire. Being a relatively unimportant word in terms of industrial resources, the Reaper attacks concentrated on the almost defenceless spaceport facility near the capital of Astella. The destruction there was extensive but the Reapers didn’t come to stay, as their forces moved on to the more important targets of Dekuuna and (especially) Hyetiana and Cyone. July 7: Solregit Invaded Reaper forces were confirmed to have landed on Solregit at midnight local time in the capital city of Raura. Communication with the planet was swiftly cut, though ships passing through the system confirmed initial fears - the enemy had arrived on yet another world. It had been hoped that the agrarian colony would be overlooked by the Reapers due to its small population; however, with the recent victories on Palaven, it was theorized that the Reapers might be shifting their focus to turian supply lines. As a regional breadbasket, Solregit represented a not insignificant component thereof. Strategic analyst Brin Veris gave the following statement: “You could say that the recent joint operation on Palaven was too successful. They can’t chase us out, so they’re attempting to starve us instead. They think if they can stop the flow of supplies from major agrarian colonies like Gothis, Edessan, and now Solregit, they can regain their dominance on the surface of Palaven”. Unconfirmed reports from ship crews claimed that while the planetary Reaper presence was low, the Primarch of the colony might already be suffering the effects of indoctrination. The same reports indicated that the majority of the Reaper forces were located in the southern hemisphere, along the urban belt running parallel to the equator, with only two sightings of Reapers in the predominately rural north, both in the northern capital of Ayre. July 10: Thessia Invaded While other species met the Reapers head-on, the asari resorted to dangerous hit-and-run tactics to harass their attackers. By engaging in guerilla strategies - blast a Reaper ship, then jump to FTL where they couldn’t be tracked - the asari forced the Reapers to remain on the defensive. Unfortunately, the Reapers’ greater numbers allowed them to accept certain losses, so they soon ignored the attacks against them and began orbital bombardment of Thessia. This in turn forced the asari to defend their homeworld with a more traditional stance, facing the Reaper forces directly. As soon as the Reapers landed on Thessia, the harvesting began. Shepard's team arrived at the temple to find a security field blocking the entrance, strangely high-security for a worship house of a dead religion. When T’Soni deactivated it, they entered the temple and found the scientists dead, but not at Reaper hands. They searched the building, which housed artifacts related to worship of Athame - including several that looked suspiciously Prothean. While T’Soni explained the temple’s history, Shepard came to a realisation; the artifact the Councillor sent them to find was a Prothean Beacon hidden within the temple. Considering the building’s age, the beacon was likely the reason why the asari were technologically and scientifically ahead of the other races, and they’d directly violated their own Council law by keeping the beacon to themselves. The beacon powered up upon detection of one with Prothean-like brain patterns (which Shepard received in the form of the Cipher) and once the squad fully activated it, a Prothean VI identifying itself as Vendetta appeared. Establishing that it was in a post-Prothean cycle and detecting nearby Reaper forces, it attempted to shut down, but Shepard insisted that it wait and provide information on the Catalyst and Crucible. Vendetta explained that the Crucible was not of Prothean origin, but was a cumulative design spanning countless galactic cycles stretching back millions of years. The Protheans themselves never used it because their efforts were sabotaged by a splinter faction who (like Cerberus in the present cycle) argued the Protheans should control the Reapers, not destroy them. By the time it was discovered the separatists were indoctrinated, it was too late; the Prothean order of battle was too fractured to coordinate an effort to activate the weapon. Vendetta also mentioned that the Protheans had learned of similar patterns of evolution and dissolution occurring in every galactic cycle, with each path of advancement and conflict happening differently but in fundamentally similar ways - too similar to be merely chance. Vendetta inferred that the Reapers were “servants” of the pattern, not its creator, but couldn’t identity their true master or motive, only their intention: galactic annihilation. Before Vendetta could specify what the Catalyst was, it detected an indoctrinated presence nearby and shut down. The intruder was Kai Leng, who demanded their attention, pulling a drone from his coat and remarking that “Someone would like to talk with you”. The drone projected a hologram of the Illusive Man, who had learnt of the Thessia beacon from the Mars Archive and mocked T’Soni for missing it. He went on to expand on his beliefs and attempted to convince Shepard that controlling the Reapers was the best course of action - and that the Thessia beacon contained the information needed to do so. Shepard asserted her conviction to destroy the Reapers, and dismissed the Illusive Man’s scheme, accusing him of being indoctrinated. Rebuffed, the Illusive Man ordered Leng to kill Shepard and recover the data. The Normandy’s communication specialist, Samantha Traynor, mentioned that she had traced the route taken by Leng’s shuttle as it fled Thessia, as far as the Iera System. She had lost it there because the signal was being actively blocked. Despite the fact that the only thing of note in that system was Sanctuary, a refugee camp on the planet Horizon for those fleeing the war, the Commander decided that a lead was still a lead, no matter how slim, and agreed to check it out. Within hours, nearly all communications with Thessia were severed, leaving the fate of billions of asari uncertain. The fall of the Crown Jewel of the Galaxy came as a critical blow against the Republics, who had been contributing forces to Alliance efforts across the galaxy since Cerberus’ attempted takeover of the Citadel the previous month. The loss of communication between the planet and the Citadel was confirmed by Councilor Tevos in a press conference at 8:42 GST. "We don't have any information behind this blackout at this time," Tevos reported to a subdued press corp, "but with the recent attacks occurring elsewhere in the galaxy, we can only assume the worst. However, we must keep hope alive. We are a long-lived and wise people, and have some of the most trained warriors in the universe. I have no doubt our people will weather this storm. If anything, this simply hammers home the point that we must find an end to the Reaper menace, and fast". July 25: Sanctuary Upon arriving at the facility, Shepard and her squad discovered signs of battle between Cerberus and Reaper forces, a surprising discovery given Cerberus’ collaboration with the Reapers. Investigating the camp, Shepard found evidence left by former squadmate Miranda Lawson or her sister that the ‘refugee camp’ was in truth a Cerberus laboratory run by their father Henry Lawson, working for the Illusive Man. Deeper in the facility, they discovered that the refugees were being experimented on and ultimately turned into husks, in order to further Cerberus’ research into indoctrination. A further bombshell was brought to light: a signal being broadcast from a tower within the facility, using Cerberus research, had allowed Cerberus the ability to control the husks created in their experiments. Lawson had been working on the Illusive Man’s orders to find a way to transfer this process to the Reapers themselves before the facility had come under attack, the Reapers seeking to destroy any potential weakness that could be used against them. Alliance specialists were soon sifting through the remains of Sanctuary, decrying ‘unspeakable atrocities’ carried out by Cerberus. “The people fleeing to Sanctuary were drawn by promises of security in a war-torn galaxy,” said Admiral Hackett in a prepared statement. “Cerberus betrayed their trust, and took advantage of refugee panic and desperation. What we’ve seen here today gives the ultimate lie to Cerberus propaganda, to their claims of being humanity’s ‘beacon of hope.’ It’s clear that no one, human or otherwise, is more than a tool for their own despicable purposes.” Human Councilor Dominic Osoba issued a statement on the discovery as well, stating that “On behalf of all humanity, my heart breaks for the victims of these cruel charlatans. Humanity cannot truly stand together against the Reapers unless we root out and destroy the terrorists in our midst, those who seek to undermine everything humanity stands for in the name of their foul work.” July 26: The battles continue Hierarchy and resistance forces on Quadim ordered a strategic regrouping into the countryside, as Reaper ground troops pressed deeper into the capital of Haros, overrunning the city’s primary armoury and capital buildings. The order followed the obliteration of a significant portion of the defenders’ forces in neighbouring Belisan. Though stating his resolve and that of the people of Quadim to continue their fight against the invaders, Primarch Martic ordered a withdrawal from the Haronasian Basin, declaring the strategic situation to be untenable without reinforcements. Two weeks prior, the beleaguered garrison’s efforts to hold off a small Reaper invasion force were rewarded by the arrival of several private security and military firms, along with two aid and disaster relief organizations. Most were based out of Hierarchy and Alliance space, including the Jaroni Brigade, Dalin Security, Bastion, TraskInt Paladins, Orphaeus Matatar, Karasus Defense, Ton’Das Inc., Hands of Alune, and a small Galactic Red Cross detachment. Though Reaper attacks had crippled most fuel and communication assets across the system, these reinforcements began rescue operations in the Basin, evacuating approximately 4400 residents under cover of diversionary assaults by Quadim’s Fleet contingent. The unexpected arrival of Reaper reinforcements in the system four days later ended evacuation operations; corporate warships and aid vessels were wiped out by Reaper capital ships, their surviving personnel stranded planetside. Coordinating with colonial forces, these remnants flocked to Belisan to support its flagging garrison, bolstering the defense and driving back Reaper assaults in key areas. Resistance leaders reportedly intended to delay and sabotage harvesting operations in the Basin, hoping to hold out in time for reinforcements. Such hopes were dashed when Reaper tactics abruptly shifted. Several capital ships fired on Belisan from orbit, leveling the city and annihilating its defenders. Colonial forces reported that survivors were unlikely, given the intensity of the bombardment, and a number of military analysts stated that the destruction of these reinforcements was a major blow to the effectiveness and viability of Quadim’s continued resistance. That said, representatives from the Office of Public Information stressed that the tenacity of the remaining forces shouldn’t be so easily disregarded. Primarch Martic expressed his sorrow for the loss of the corporate troops and aid personnel, along with his gratitude and respect for their sacrifice in the defense of his colony. August 1: Down With Cerberus The Hierarchy collaborated with factions from the Terminus and the Human Systems Alliance in an operation to reclaim the Defiant - previously taken by elements of the human extremist group Cerberus. As such, the 23rd Patrol Flotilla was assigned to wrest it back from enemy hands; spearheading a joint fleet action to take not only the frigate, but also the key Cerberus station it had been hiding in. Led by Captain Nasrin Avita, the 23rd Patrol Flotilla as well as the rest of the joint action fleet struck the station, which was fortified by its’ own fleet and the garrison occupying its heart. As the initial blows were exchanged, the casualties among the coalition mounted - namely, ships from the human Eighth Fleet. However, the tides quickly turned when Captain Avita pulled off a masterful maneuver; executed alongside a Terminus fleet, which succeeded in sweeping Cerberus naval presence from the system and allowing the coalition opportunity to seize the advantage. But while the Defiant was safely secured, Veratix Station was scuttled by the remaining Cerberus forces, resulting in heavy damage to the structure. Operatives from the Office of Technological Reconnaissance were dispatched to recover what they could from the station, alongside similar agents from both the Alliance and the Terminus Systems. August 3: Further Down With Cerberus Hackett warned that once an assault on Cerberus was launched, the Reapers would take notice; for all intents and purposes, the attack on Cerberus would be the first step in the campaign to retake Earth. Once military preparations were completed to Shepard’s satisfaction, the assault began. Leading an armada to assault the station, Shepard, EDI and a squad were deployed to fight Cerberus forces in the base, while Hackett battled Cerberus’ fleet with the rest of the Alliance ships. The base was full of video logs, containing intel on EDI’s past, Project Lazarus, and Cerberus’ new-found obsession with exploiting Reaper tech and indoctrination, as well as interesting technology such as prototype weaponry and pieces of the Human Reaper salvaged from the Collector Base after its destruction. Eventually the team reached the Illusive Man’s personal office, and began to scour his private terminals for the location of the Prothean VI. The Illusive Man contacted Shepard by hologram, sneering that he’d already acquired the Catalyst and all he needed to control the Reapers. Again, he dismissed Shepard’s claims that he was indoctrinated and assured Shepard that the idea behind Cerberus would survive any physical damage they caused to the organisation itself. The End Is Nigh This is a general withdrawal order. All fleet elements are to fall back from homeworld IMMEDIATELY. All mobilized personnel are to be IMMEDIATELY recalled to their nearest FORWARD OPERATING BASE and await forthcoming instruction. ANY CITIZEN regardless of exemption or registration status who are presently unable to respond to this order are to resist the enemy by any means deemed necessary. All available military assets are to be attached to their DESIGNATED stations only. Any exempted Citizen otherwise capable of responding to this order are to report to TIER SUPERIORS and await forthcoming instruction. All existing trainees are recommended an IMMEDIATE one tier advancement and to await further instruction. This is not a drill. Repeat, this is a general withdrawal order. All assigned fleet assets are to disengage from Palaven IMMEDIATELY. ''This is a general order to ALL CITIZENS. All fleet elements are to deploy to Sol IMMEDIATELY. All mobilized personnel are to report to their legions IMMEDIATELY. All army elements are to be considered elements of TASK FORCE HAMMER effective IMMEDIATELY. All available fleet assets are to await designation SWORD or SHIELD. If no further instructions are available, ALL INVOLVED CITIZENS are to defer to the judgment of FLEET COMMANDER HACKETT. This is not a drill. ''